HaAmakim Park – Visitors Guide (Map, Photos, Barbeque, and More)
HaAmakim Park is situated near kibbutz Sha`ar HaAmakim. It offers hiking and cycling trails along the Kishon River, picnic tables, and a Turkish bridge.
Table of Contents
Map
HaAmakim Park is near kibbutz Sha`ar HaAmakim, by the intersection of roads #6 and #75. And the easiest way to get there is by entering “HaAmakim Park” into Waze.
When we drove there, shortly after the intersection of roads #6 and #75, while driving on road #75 to the east, we turned to the left and continued using the dirt road under the bridge till we reached the parking lot.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Offers:
- Hotels, hostels, and apartments in this area:
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- Get 10% off for your next tour at Bein Harim with coupon code LEV10#12306.
And here is a map of HaAmakim Park:
Map of HaAmakim Park
Note: you can click on the map to enlarge it.
Entrance Fee
Free.
Opening Hours
Visiting is allowed only during the daytime.
The following sign states: “Staying in the forest after dark is prohibited unless the required safety measures are taken.”
Parking
Free parking is available on site, near the mentioned entrance.
Restrooms
None. Or at least I did not see any during my latest visit (December 2021).
Picnic Tables and Barbeque
There are picnic tables, and you can have barbeques. Moreover, there is an accessible path and one accessible table.
But there are not many tables (I have seen a total of about ten), and there are no facilities besides garbage bins (no restrooms and no water taps).
The Accessible Trail
There is a long cycling and hiking trail along the Kishon River. Moreover, at the parking marked on the map above, you can find an accessible path (see the photo above pointing to an eight hundred meters trail).
Let’s hike along this trail.
The paved trail continues along the river to the north from the picnic area.
The paved path leads to the memorial of Yehuda Lipshitz, an engineer at Zevulun Regional Council.
Shortly after the monument, the paved trail becomes a dirt road.
You can find a farm with horses on the other side of the river. They offer horse rides, and some of them may use the trails in the park. Therefore if you are using the trails to walk with your dog, consider keeping it on a leash depending on the dog’s reaction when seeing horses.
The trail continued further northwest, but we returned to the picnic area and hiked in another direction.
Turkish Railway Bridge
If you hike to the south from the parking marked on the map above, then after several minutes, you will reach the Turkish Railway Bridge over the Kishon River.
Note: this part of the trail is not accessible.
The Turkish Railway Bridge is made of dressed stone and supported by six arches. It was designed by the German railway engineer Heinrich August Meissner. Inaugurated in 1903 by the Turks near Station 15, Jalami, it was crossed by the Valley Railway, an offshoot of the Hejaz Railway Project.
Source: Wikipedia
And after this bridge, you will see the modern bridges of road #75.
And then you will reach a grove planted by Trans-Israel workers in 2020.
Summary
HaAmakim Park could have been an excellent place for a picnic. But several things prevent me from recommending this place to everybody. First of all, the lack of facilities. Secondly, during our visit, the park was filthy. But it still can be a lovely place for a hike.
Have you ever visited HaAmakim Park? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!
Stay Tuned!
Additional Resources
Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:- Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
- What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
- Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
- Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
- If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.
